MONTICELLO — Sullivan County Treasurer Intern and Tri-Valley student Chris Prousalis presented a new project called The Blessing Bags Project to the Legislature on Thursday, August 14. The project will see Prousalis and his fellow Tri-Valley peers collecting bags of resources and delivering them to the Federation for the Homeless, a social services organization in Monticello.

Fifteen-year-old Prousalis said, “This project is simple yet powerful… I’ve put collection boxes all around the county—the Grahamsville Deli, Grahamsville Post Office, Neversink Town Hall, and probably the most accessible to everyone here, the Government Center and Treasurer’s Office.” 

Prousalis said he’s collecting donations of non-perishable food, toiletries and health supplies, and will be donating them to the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless, “to help people who are experiencing homelessness. These bags are more than just supplies, they represent our compassion, dignity, and it shows a message that our community really cares.” Prousalis said he and his fellow students at Tri-Valley Volunteer Club will be assembling the bags and delivering them to Federation for the Homeless Director Kathy Kreiter and also volunteering at the Federation.  

He concluded, “I’d like to invite the entire community, including everyone here, to participate either through donating, volunteering, or connecting us with local businesses, and spreading the word about this project. I’ve already collected a lot of donations, and I’m very thankful for everyone that’s donated today.” 

He said that he plans to organize four field trips throughout the school year and is shooting for the first one to happen in late September.

Legislator Chair Nadia Rajsz said, “This is such a great idea for somebody so young to start. Kudos to you, thank you for doing this.” 

The end of Prousalis’s presentation was met with a hearty applause from legislators and the audience who were moved by the initiative of this promising young student.

County Treasurer Nancy Buck praised the efforts of her intern: “I’m so proud of all our interns, and Chris, he’s been working so hard, and this is a pet project for him, and I’m proud of him at his age that he came up with it. And my office is more than happy to help him.”

Prousalis said he got the idea while on a civics class field trip: “We took a field trip to the Federation for the Homeless to volunteer, and when I was there, I saw it can be a lot for the workers there to maintain everything, so I thought it would be a good idea to create The Blessing Bags Project to help them out.” He pitched the idea to Director Kreiter, who thought it was wonderful.

Prousalis said he has been collecting necessary items like toothbrushes and toothpaste, “anything to help with the quality of life, anything to give a helping hand to those experiencing homelessness.”

Prousalis is also the founder of the Tri-Valley Volunteer Club, a creation that came about when he learned that many seniors at Tri-Valley were struggling to meet their 25 hours of required volunteering. As he looks to the future, Prousalis said he hopes to, “continue helping the homeless, helping students graduate, and creating more connection in our community.”